Justice David Gendall remanded Fawcett in custody for sentencing on May 1. He thanked the jury for their service.

'PROFOUND EFFECT' ON OTHER SEX WORKERS

Prostitutes Collective regional coordinator Anna Reed sat through almost the entire trial and said she "could not praise the police work highly enough".

"It's such a good verdict. She was part of our family too."

She said some evidence was "really hard to get my head around" as it revealed "a lot of violence and hatred".

Reed said Manning's death had "a profound effect" on Christchurch sex workers.

Some workers left the street, while a host of new safety measures were implemented on Manchester St.

The murder highlighted the dangers of individuals with "horrific agendas".

"I think there are going to be more arrests to come," she added.

HUI HELD BY MONGREL MOB

The Crown said Manning was picked up from the corner of Manchester and Peterborough streets about 10.40pm, driven to the pad and murdered "without hesitation".

She was raped, strangled, bashed with weapons and stabbed. Her body was dumped in the Avon River about 11pm.

Cellphone evidence showed a "hui" had been called by another Mongrel Mob member about 8pm.

Fawcett was seen by witnesses in Manchester St that night.

A witness said he and another patched Mob member had told her they were looking for "Mel" because she owed money.

He gave police several versions of the killing, which tallied with her injuries.

Extremely rare pollen found on her clothing was an exact genetic match to pollen from the Mongrel Mob pad.

Fawcett also told police he had cleaned the vehicle used to transport her body. Another witness said Fawcett turned up at her house early on December 19 covered in blood.

He left Christchurch shortly after the killing.

Fawcett later backtracked on his admissions, saying he knew nothing of the murder.

But the jury decided he did know the Mongrel Mob wanted to kill Manning - and that he helped carry it out.

DANGERS OF NARKING

A gang expert said Fawcett would need protection for committing the Mob's "cardinal sin" – talking to police about patched mobsters while discussing the murder.

Jarrod Gilbert, a University of Canterbury lecturer and the author of Patched – The History of Gangs in New Zealand, said Fawcett would have to spend his jail term in prison protection.

"As long as the Mongrel Mob exists, he's in danger," Gilbert said today.

"Protection wings are full of narks and paedophiles. That will be his life."

In the Mongrel Mob, the code of silence was "paramount".

The code of silence was designed to protect the gang and its members, who did not have redress to normal criminal justice avenues.

To speak to police about fellow gang members' crimes or activities was "the ultimate betrayal".

"The idea of narking is a cardinal sin," Gilbert said.

"If someone offends against them, they take care of business."

There were exceptions. From time to time, a member might nark on moral grounds, but only over extremes in brutal behaviour.

The more common reason was to save oneself from going to jail or to get a reduced sentence.

During his High Court trial, Fawcett named four Mongrel Mob members when interviewed by police about Manning's killing.

Those gang members received name suppression.

Fawcett later claimed his statements were lies – told while he was high on methamphetamine or due to police "coaching" – and said he feared the Mongrel Mob would have "his head on a stick".

Gilbert said people who were attracted to the Mongrel Mob often came from some of the country's most dysfunctional families and were desperate to find acceptance.

A prospect's "formal initiation" could take a year or longer – and not all were equal, he said.

If a prospect had "great form", they could be ushered through reasonably easily. If they were weak, they could be badly abused.

During the initiation, prospects were "at the beck and call" of patched gang members.

That could be anything from menial tasks such as guarding the club house, running errands or being a sober driver, through to committing criminal acts and putting your hand up to crimes of others, he said.

"When you enter the gang realm, they become your family, your whole social circle. It can be your entire life. Once you nark on them, it is a very lonely existence."

Some Mongrel Mob members would disapprove of Manning's killing, but they were unlikely to care about any impact on their reputation, Gilbert said.